Special Endowed Funds Support Grants-in-Aid of Research

Since the first Sigma Xi grants were awarded in 1922, donations from members and supporters have helped young researchers come up higher.

In addition to small gifts, exceptional donations have expanded the Grant-in-Aid endowment by creating the special Named Funds listed below and ensured the continued support of future generations of scientists and engineers.

It has been a strong feeling of mine that we older ones who have learned the satisfactions and the value to society of scientific work should try to make the way into science easier for promising young scientists.

Calvin Fuller (Sigma Xi 1928) upon creating his Named Fund in 1981 where he described the Grants-in-Aid of Research Program as “just the ticket” to accomplishing the goal of supporting promising young scientists.

Calvin Fuller was a physical chemist at AT&T Bell Laboratories (1930 to 1967) and was co-inventor of the Silicon Solar Cell (Patent #: 2,780,765)

Sigma Xi Named Funds

Individuals who create a Named Fund express a preference for type of researcher, geographical region or field of research (as stated below). The GIAR Program honors those wishes pending the identification of suitable grant applications.

Evan Ferguson Fund - in honor of a former staff member of Sigma Xi (24 years), this award supports research in the biological sciences. See Evan Ferguson Award for more information on Dr. Ferguson.

Calvin S. Fuller Fund - projects in chemistry, physics, biochemistry and biophysics with preference to projects that will aid in developing the world's energy sources

John J. and Anna H. GallagherFund – biology with a preference to basic research in the natural history of rotifers and other lesser-known microscopic invertebrates

DC Chapter (Formerly Robert Gary) Fund – general research with a preference for students at institutions in the greater Washington, D.C. area, students at liberal arts colleges in Virginia or Maryland and foreign students.

Eugene and Millicent C. Goldschmidt Fund - in support of women conducting research in Microbiology

Calvin and Helen Lang Fund – biochemistry with a preference for nutritional or gerontological biochemistry

Jackie B. Langston Fund – general research with a preference for sustainable agriculture, economics, or social science

Jane and Herbert LongeneckerFund – biochemistry with a preference for nutrition research

Earl Lovejoy MemorialFund - geology with a preference for studies of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States

John Manley MemorialFund – research in physics and geology

John P. McGovern Fund – Created by the Founder of the renowned McGovern Allergy Clinic in Houston, this award supports research in chemistry or biochemistry with a preference towards immunology or allergies. See John P. McGovern Science and Society Award for more information on Dr. McGovern.

Edith Neimark Fund – social science research

Ohio State University Fund – research projects in all fields of science conducted by students at Ohio State University

Oregon Chapter Fund – research projects in all fields of science conducted by students in Oregon colleges and universities

Jan A. RajchmanFund – computer research, especially neural computing

Leroy Record Fund – created by a former electrical engineer at General Electric who pioneered research in vacuum tubes used in early radar systems. This award supports research in all fields of science and engineering. See Leroy Record Heritage Society for more information on Leroy Record.

William W. RigrodFund - engineering research

Rutgers University Chapter Fund – research projects in all fields of science conducted by students at Rutgers University

Sargent-Faull Fund – biological research with a preference to studies on spiders or rust fungi

Harlow Shapley Fund – all fields of science with a preference to students at Harvard University of institutions in the Boston area

Simons-Monroe Fund - basic research in pure science with emphasis speculative and innovative areas of scientific research for which funding is more difficult to obtain

Swarthmore Chapter Fund – research projects in all fields of science conducted by students at Swarthmore College

URIC Fund - established by the University Research Institute of Connecticut to support general research with a preference for students at institutions in Connecticut.

Washington University Chapter Fund – research projects in all fields of science conducted by students at Washington University

Hsien Wu and Daisy Yen Wu Fund –biochemistry with a preference for research in nutrition or physiology

Yale Chapter Fund – research projects of students at Yale University

Sigma Xi Fund of Canada – research projects in all fields of science conducted by of students in Canadian colleges and universities

Sigma Xi General Fund – donations of less than $25,000 from members of Sigma Xi are endowed into the Sigma Xi General Fund that supports research in all fields of science and engineering. This is the single largest source of funding for Grants-in-Aid of Research.

National Academy of Sciences Named Funds

Since 1984, the National Academy of Sciences has contracted with the Society to distribute the Academy’s funds designated for research. Funds from the National Academy of Sciences allow for grants of up to $5,000 for astronomy research and $2,500 for vision related research. Academy funds designated for research include:

Alexander Bache Fund - physical and natural sciences research

Edmond and Marianne Blaauw Fund - research with implications for human vision, this fund allows for grants of up to $2,500

Wolcott Gibbs Fund – research in chemistry

Benjamin Apthrop Gould Fund - astronomy research, this fund allows for grants of up to $5,000

Joseph Henry Fund - natural sciences research

O. C. Marsh Fund - natural sciences research

George P. Merrill Fund - research in meteors, meteorites and space, this fund allows for grants of up to $5000